Striking

Have you Ever Seen GSP do that? No, you haven't. CREDIT: mmaweekly.com

Anderson Silva is the greatest striker in UFC history, and he has put his eight limbs of fury to work in all 15 of his UFC appearances (which were all victories if you were curious).

He strikes with a lethal precision not found by any other mixed martial artist, and his power is deceptive. He can drop opponents with a falling away jab just as easily as he can land an explosive front kick like the one pictured above.

"The Spider" turns out his opponents' lights, and he does so in the most beautiful of fashions.

Conversely, GSP cannot finish a third grader's homework. He can lay on it and control it like nobody's business, but he always leaves the last blank unfinished.

It could be something simple, like "What is the capital of Texas?" or "How do you finish Dan Hardy on the ground when you have him there for 24 minutes," but GSP will not pen in his response.

Silva will, though, and in a matchup he would punch, kick and knee "Rush" in ways nobody has before.

Takedown Defense/Attacking Ground Game

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Some may say Anderson Silva has "poor" takedown defense, but, prior to being taken down at will against ChaelSonnen at UFC 117, "The Spider" successfully defended 84 percent of his opponents' takedowns, the best percentage by any middleweight fighter in UFC history.

It is easy to focus on the times he was taken down (against Henderson and Lutter, for example), but that is the case in any sport or in any aspect of life, for that matter. When somebody does one thing exceptionally well, it always leaves an impression when they deviate from said excellence.

Such is the case with Silva. Even though GSP has arguably the best wrestling in MMA, it is not like he lands 100 percent of his takedown attempts.

Against Silva, missing even one means more time on his feet and more time in the danger zone of Silva's lethal limbs.

Compounding this, even if he does get Silva to the mat, "The Spider" has shown that he has a capable bottom game, as he showed in submission victories over ChaelSonnen and Travis Lutter.

GSP might be safer on top of Anderson Silva than he is standing, but he would have to get the fight there first. I'm not so sure that he could, and that spells trouble for the Canadian superstar.